Thanks to your hard work and dedication, Volunteers contributed an average of 1,000 hours a month so far this year! Congratulations!
The great Victoria summer weather has finally arrived, and summer at VIRCS is time for events and outdoor adventures. Coming up this summer are also some great ways to help VIRCS keep going.
Click on the links to read an update, or scroll down to read them all:
- ESL Program update
- Enable Program: Summer Schedule and Strides
- Thinking about a new way to volunteer? Try this survey
- Help VIRCS without losing a penny - Pick up a Thrifty's Smile Card from us!
ESL Program Update
Thank you everyone for coming to our recent info sessions. Now we all know how to give the most to students in the classroom, we need to find more of them!
Many of you know that VIRCS' ESL classes operate on a cost-recovery basis. ESL at VIRCS is not tied to the rules and regulations of a large, grant-funded process, but instead relies on the student fees to pay for staff and space. This is what allows our classes to be so flexible, friendly, and inclusive. It also means that we need a certain number of students to keep the class going.
Unfortunately, we have become too efficient for our own good! Since our improvements, students have been graduating from our classes into jobs or college classes faster than new ones are arriving! While this is great news for our students, the program needs to attract more students so that we can continue to help.
With our current students, VIRCS is able to continue classes as they are until the end of June. At the end of June, if there continues to be low demand for the classes, we will begin to gradually reduce our number of classes per week.
If you know of any newcomers interested in classes, please let them know about us. Also, we have posters and fliers, created by one of our great VIRCS Volunteers, available if you know of a good place to take them.
Thank you for the great help you have provided to the students, and your continued support of our services.
Enable Program: Summer Schedule
As many of our long-term volunteers know, the Enable program for youth changes completely after the end of the grade-school year. The last day for Homework Clubs until September will be June 22nd, and June 24th. One-on-one Tutoring will be decided on an individual basis. Instead of studying, it will be time to get out and enjoy the sunshine and festivals that make Victoria famous :)
One of the funnest things to do in Victoria is help out at our Strides Summer Camp for newcomer youth. This is a free, week-long camp where newcomer youth get to know the natural environment, learn leadership and survival skills, play music, develop leadership skills, and help cook and clean for each other.
This year, Strides is taking place by the water, so we are looking for a lifeguard to help supervise the youth in the water. The camp takes place from July 17th to 24th. If you, or someone you know, can help, please contact me.
Thinking of a new way to volunteer? Take this survey!
At VIRCS we like to try new things, and right now we are trying a new way to help people find the best volunteer fit: through an on-line survey!
If you're looking for a great way to help a newly-arrived family, or just want to try a different way to help, take this short survey from our Family Friendship Program to see if it would be a good fit for you:
Family Friendship Survey
Thank you so much for your help!
Help VIRCS without losing a penny - Pick up a Thrifty's Smile Card from us!
Thanks to Thrifty Foods, there is a new way to help VIRCS just by doing what we already do - buying groceries. Thrifty Foods has provided us with special Smile Cards, cards that can be loaded with money from a credit card, debit card, or with cash, and spent on groceries at any Thrifty Foods store.
When you use a VIRCS Smile Card at Thrifty's, Thrifty Foods will donate 5% of the total to VIRCS. That means you spend 100% on groceries, and VIRCS gets 5% from Thrifty's.
Though it is a small amount each time, over time these donations can be a huge support for hard-to-fund programs, such as our Enable program for Youth and our ESL classes. If you shop at Thrifty's, and would like to help, please consider picking up a card at VIRCS on your next visit.
Cards can be obtained at VIRCS through me (Chris), Danny (our Enable youth worker), or from our receptionist, Anna.
Thank you for your support!
That's the end of this month's Volunteer Bulletin. Next month, we will be letting you know about our Annual General Meeting, more details on Summer Camp, and more!
Thank you all for your help, and have a great summer!
Best,
Chris
